Digital dangers aren’t just annoying; they’re costing Americans billions.
The latest numbers reveal that cyber criminals stole more than $16 billion last year, and nearly 6.5 million people reported fraud or identity theft, which is about one victim every five seconds.
And more than half of adults say they’ve been targeted by a scam through email, text or phone.
Experts say this is now crime without contact!
“People mostly need to realize that everything you do is being tracked,” said James Thompson, president, CEO and founder of Tech Bay, USA.
Scammers can use artificial intelligence to clone a person’s voice from just seconds of audio posted online.
And did you realize your address, phone number, relatives, even property details, can be bought online through data broker sites? That’s how scams sound so personal.
Experts recommend families create a private safe word to verify real emergencies.
And privacy experts say freezing your credit is one of the strongest defenses. It stops new accounts from being opened in your name.
Another growing risk: property fraud. Criminals can file fake documents trying to transfer ownership of a home digitally. Sign up for free property fraud alerts through your county clerk’s office. A tool many people don’t even know exists.
Even those innocent posts, birthdays, kids’ photos, pet names, vacation shots, can give scammers the answers to your security questions.
That’s why experts say to treat security questions like passwords, don’t use real answers. And remember, the safest people online aren’t the most tech-savvy, they’re the most skeptical.
Your Smart TV, doorbell camera, speaker, and fitness watch all collect data. Many devices default to sharing usage data with companies.
Experts say go into your device settings and turn off “ad personalization” and “data sharing,” settings most people have never checked.